The Aviation Pondering's of Daniel Houe Sorensen

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On July 17, 1996, an explosion occurred over the water close to New York. It was Trans World Airlines Flight 800 and all 230 people on board lost their lives. The Boeing 747-100, N93119, exploded twelve minutes after it had taken off from John F. Kennedy International. It set off one of the biggest NTSB and FBI investigations to date. This was one of the worst aviation disasters on United States territory. The wreckage was scattered throughout the ocean floor and was drifting apart on the surface. After many years it was pieced back together and still sits in a hanger in Virginia. The NTSB concluded that there was a short in the wiring that ignited the main belly tank of the 747.

Trans World Airlines Flight 800 Wreckage being removed from a hanger where it was being re-assembled.

There is a new documentary being released soon that refutes this idea however. Many of the original crash investigators do not agree with the conclusion that was reached. They believe it was an external explosion that brought the jumbo crashing down to earth. Many of the eyewitnesses claim they saw a streak of light going towards the plane before it exploded. Some radar operators claimed they saw the same thing on their screens.

I am usually very against conspiracy theories and never put much effort into them. I do think I will watch this documentary however. Something has me interested, could just be that it is aviation related, or there is actually something here. I have spent the last few days reading up on it and have a few questions myself now. I am hoping that the documentary will clear up some confusion. No details of their “proof,” that they claim they have, has been released yet. I do also believe that this could just be a cry for attention from conspiracy nuts.

I will be watching the documentary. I want to see their “claimed” new proof and judge for myself if it is credible. This is a major aviation disaster and it needs to be fully explained. If it turns out to be a conspiracy riddled mess, then I will probably still enjoy the aviation facets of it.

We are in a very exciting and turbulent time in the world of aviation. Sequestration and furloughs are hurting the industry, while new amazing materials and innovations are fueling it. Soon we will be flying in patterns with pilot-less planes. Boeing and Airbus have both created the new generation of commercial aircraft. Alternative forms of energy are being used to power flight. We are living through a new aviation revolution

Mostly carbon planes are starting to take to the skies. The Boeing 787, which just came back into service after a long and costly battery issue, and Airbus test flew its A350XWB this last Friday, June 14. Glass cockpits are replacing steam gauges in almost all new aircraft, in fact, many companies such as Cessna, only build their planes with glass cockpits. Solar and human powered flight is becoming a reality. The Solar Impulse is making progress as it makes it way across the country using only solar power. Not all the changes are good however. The sequestration has put a massive strain on our ATC network and furloughs still plague many professional pilots.

All this change is inevitable and should be embraced rather than scowled upon. All this technologies are making aviation safer and more efficient. Someday VORs will go the way of NBDs and be phased out for GPS intersections. Glass cockpits are becoming the new standard in all planes, from GA to commercial planes. Today’s pilots have more information available to them on the PFD and MFD than ever before, increasing their situational awareness. Pilots need to know and stay up to date with this new information. Being a pilot is a never-ending learning process. The future of aviation is bright and will continue to flourish for the many years to come.